Eighty Child-Appealing Kratom and 7-OH Products Identified; 95% Have Candy-Like Flavors, 33% Feature Cartoon Mascots

Why it matters

Kratom and 7-OH products are being sold in child-appealing formats (gummies, candies, lollipops, ice cream cones) with cartoon mascots and fruit flavors. Only 7% of 80 products screened required age verification before purchase, creating a pediatric toxicity crisis similar to the edible cannabis and Juul vaping epidemics.

The big picture

Kratom leaf powder tastes bitter and requires high volumes, naturally limiting child use. But new extracted alkaloid products (mitragynine and 7-OH) enable manufacturers to create gummies, chocolates, and drink mixes that children find irresistible. The marketing parallels nicotine vaping products (Juul) and edible cannabis products, which surged from 28% of poison center calls in 2013 to 60% by 2019.

Key findings

• 36% of 80 products identified were gummies; 29% were tablets; 19% were drinks/liquids; 15% were candies (taffy, lollipops, ice cream cones)
• 95% of products specified child-appealing flavors (berry, citrus, mint, tropical punch, cotton candy)
• 74% had bright-colored formulations (red, blue, pink, orange, green)
• 33% featured cartoon mascots or symbols (hippo, kraken, bomb with face)
• Only 13 of 45 websites (29%) required age verification; only 3 (7%) required proof of age

What they say

"Newer products are extracting mitragynine and either directly formulating it or oxidizing it to create 7-hydroxymitragynine before product formulation... By using the mitragynine extract and/or the semi-synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine, manufacturers have a broader range of dosage forms to use that could appeal to children," wrote researchers from the University of Connecticut.

Bottom line

Kratom manufacturers are deliberately creating opioid-receptor-stimulating products that look and taste like candy, with minimal age verification barriers.